Latinos are growing fast in both numbers and voting strength in Idaho. With over 11 % of the state’s population concentrated in specific counties, Latinos are the swing voters for some state races and the 1st congressional district.
This power will only grow with time as age eligibility and naturalization rates increase for Latinos in Idaho. For instance, in 2008, there were 60,000 Latinos eligible to vote in Idaho, representing 6% of all eligible voters in Idaho. (Only half of them voted during the general elections in 2008 elections.) In 2010, 33.9% of immigrants (or 29,550 people) in Idaho were naturalized U.S. citizens – meaning that they are eligible to vote today.
What these statistics tell us is that the real power of Latinos and new voters is growing and could have definitive impact in the general elections this year.
In order to make this power real, the Idaho Community Action Network launched a campaign to register 2,500 Latinos and new immigrants in the state. Their campaign started on March 31st when high school students, college students, and community members commemorated the legacy of Cesar Chavez by learning about the history and struggle of voting rights in the US, the eligibility rules to vote, and how to do voter registration.
Participants do a role-play on how to do voter registration
Part of ICAN’s campaign will include doing voter registrations at the Citizenship Ceremonies in Boise every month and at local events such as Cinco de Mayo. They will also do public education and voter mobilization during the two weeks leading to Election Day, November 6th.
This campaign will not be successful without your participation! Here’s what you can do to make the power of Latino communities stronger:
- Register your family members, friends, co-workers, and classmates – we need to register 2,500 voters this year!
- Strengthen your recruitment skills by helping us recruit 5 volunteers to do voter registration.
- Develop your leadership skills by becoming a team captain/trainer. With a growing volunteer team, more leaders are needed to join our effort
For more information you can contact Fernando at fernando@idahocan.org.